Africa’s first-ever dredging simulator was launched today in Durban – another positive spin-off of ongoing collaboration between Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), the Transnet Maritime School of Excellence (MSoE) and Netherlands-based Royal IHC and its training institute.
The high-tech simulator – based at the MSoE’s Langeberg Road premises – will aid in building dredging capability in South Africa.
Transnet anticipates that over the first three-year period 50 students will complete training on the simulator as part of a holistic dredging training programme and could find work in southern Africa or with international dredging contractors.
TNPA chief executive, Richard Vallihu, said the simulator would enable TNPA to support ports in Southern Africa to develop marine skills and grow their economies.
“A number of regional ports are also ramping up plans to expand port capacity, including major dredging projects, so we would like to be in a position to provide human capacity for that as well in the near future,” he said.
The multi-million rand simulator mimics the control panel of an actual dredging vessel, complete with environmental simulation of weather conditions, sea states and soil types. This provides realistic training situations while eliminating the risk of accidents, production losses, damage and injuries that could occur while training in real life.
TNPA, the MSoE and Royal IHC have packaged a special dredging training programme that incorporates 12 weeks of classroom theory, eight weeks of simulation training and six months of practical training on-board a real dredging vessel.
The simulator will help to hone critical technical skills required for professions such as pipe operators, dredge masters and dredging managers. The first intake of trainees - six pipe operators – will commence training in January 2017.
